HTTU Aşgabat (Turkmenistan)
It was founded in 2003 as the football team of the International Turkmen-Turkish University (a joint Turkmen-Turkish higher education institution established in 1994). Initially known as HTTU Aşgabat, it fielded a squad often made up of (or associated with) university students—hence the nickname “The Students.” It played home matches at the modest HTTU Stadium (capacity around 1,000) on the university grounds.
The club rose quickly in the post-Soviet Ýokary Liga (Turkmenistan’s top division). It won the league four times (2005, 2006, 2009, and 2013), the Turkmenistan Cup twice (2006 and 2011), and the Super Cup three times (2005, 2009, and 2012/13 sources vary slightly). It also claimed the Turkmenistan President’s Cup multiple times in the late 2000s.
Its biggest international success came in the 2014 AFC President’s Cup (a competition for clubs from developing AFC nations), which it won by defeating North Korea’s Rimyongsu 2–1 in the final in the Philippines. Striker Süleýman Muhadow was tournament MVP and top scorer with 11 goals. The club also appeared in the AFC Cup and the Commonwealth of Independent States Cup.
In 2016 the club was renamed Ýedigen FC. That same year it finished last (9th) in the Ýokary Liga amid financial difficulties, withdrew from the competition partway through the season (with remaining matches awarded as technical losses), and was dissolved. This coincided with the closure of the International Turkmen-Turkish University itself (which ceased operations around August 2016 and was effectively superseded by another institution).
#NeverForget